Aaron Atherton
Aaron Jonathan Atherton is a character that originated on the series, Tainted Love then the series Resort and now on Harpers Falls. In all three shows, he's played by Paul Johannson. A man with a plan Aaron, a native of Santa Barbara, California, is the son of Cathy Atherton Rizzo and the late Alan Atherton; and was once married to beautiful but reckless former model, Jennifer Barrett. They are the parents of a now sixteen year old son named Aidan. The couple met while they were in college at UCLA. Aaron was born into wealth (his birth father, Alan, was an industrialist), while Jennifer was more middle class from Huntington Beach, California. Despite the advice from his father against it, Aaron and Jennifer married after they graduated from college. While Jennifer was a model, Aaron, with the help of his mother and his new stepfather, David Rizzo, opened a restaurant called Elixir, located on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles. His brothers, Nate and Jeff, opened a restaurant called Ether which was located in the West Hollywood area and was one of the most happening places in West Hollywood. Aaron had Jennifer come into the restaurant, after Cathy moved from Santa Barbara and her marrying Dave, who was also into restaurants. Despite his family man exterior, Aaron is also bisexual. His bisexuality was what eventually trashed his marriage. He later came out as fully gay. Jennifer caught Aaron in bed with his long-time childhood best friend, Rusty Brown, and she furiously left him. The hatred between Jennifer and Aaron, which was often veiled in public, was torn open in sheer force. However, Jennifer was a total hypocrite in her anger towards Aaron, since she cheated on him whenever the whim hit her with every man she could come across. Her complaints about his cheating were only a blind for her own infidelities! Rusty would let the secret hide, only if Aaron and Jen sold their shares in Elixir. Eventually, they knuckled under to blackmail, and sold the shares. Aaron, Aidan and Jennifer moved to Florida. By that time, their marriage was beyond repair. The two were ultimately divorced. Not long after the divorce, during a blistering custody battle over Aidan, (in which she manipulated the custody order, preventing Aaron from having any contact with his son) Aaron discovered that Jennifer had never really loved him. She was only interested in being married to him for his money, that love had never entered into the equation. Adding insult to injury was the tactless Jennifer shouting and screaming in front of a packed crowd at the resort, that she had never loved Aidan, in fact that she wanted to have him aborted! Betrayed by her, he finally washed his hands of her and will NOT have anything to do with her again. Aaron and Rusty gained a highly unlikely ally in their custody battle. Jennifer's ex-best friend, Sarah Jo McArthur. She had finally had enough of Jennifer's recklessness, which she tried to sweep under the carpet in college, but couldn't hide anymore. Jennifer's vicious comments about Aidan proved to be the last straw for her, and then she allied herself with Rusty and Aaron. She, along with Rusty became the support caregivers for Aidan. Aaron's influence, and also his responsibility for Aidan's welfare, had changed Rusty; although his rivalry with Jennifer is as pronounced as ever. Rusty still has a closeness with Aaron. As time wore on, Rusty and Aaron DID become a couple. After some years together, Aaron and Rusty finally married, not long after marriage equality came to Florida. Sarah Jo lived long enough to see her friends get married, and then she died of cancer. They were devastated at her loss, as she was as much of a mother to Aidan as anyone. To pick up the pieces and begin anew, Aaron and Rusty ultimately moved to Cambridge, where they took their combined experience in restaurants and opened a new place called Aaron and Rusty's Boston Bistro, located in the Back Bay area of Boston. Aidan works there at times to help his dads, and he is also finding friends, gaining two new ones immediately in close friends and cousins Derek Asbury Harper and Sammy Forson. It was Aaron who was instrumental in helping Anngelique Minzell in throwing out his hated former wife from the nuptials of her brother Jamie Minzell Crawford and AJ Crawford. However, he was angered when Jennifer revealed that she had one of her male model friends rape Aidan! If Aaron had hated Jennifer before, he certainly had more reason to now, after what she had made happen to his son! With the help of the Harpers, they moved to a new home on Beacon Hill, and they also had Cathy move in with them, to give Aidan a female influence, and to make sure Jennifer would leave them alone from then on. However, they know that Jennifer will still combat them, but they are ready for the evil woman! Aaron has some kind of blackmail over Jennifer, and he maintains control over his hated ex-spouse, by threatening to expose her crimes (her constant infidelity) for all to see. Sadly, Cathy, his beloved mother, was revealed to have had cancer. She passed away in her sleep off-screen, with him, Aidan and Rusty at her bedside. Before her death, she revealed that Samantha Bennett was his aunt, from a brief marriage that her brother, John, had with her. So, now, Aaron and his family are connected in familial ties to the Harpers. Category:Characters Category:Harper family allies Category:Atherton/Brown family Category:Other relatives of the Harper family